Gojo Satoru froze for a moment, closed the Refrigerator door, walked over. He picked up the bag of Umeboshi and looked at it. "Is this one not good? Ieiri Shoko said you can eat this brand during Pregnancy, because it has fewer additives—"
I was talking about that place," Tu Bai interrupted him, his voice unconsciously rising, "I told you.
Gojo Satoru looked at him with a somewhat dazed expression, as if he were struggling to recall, but he clearly could not remember. He opened his mouth: "Did you say it? When—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
A Rabbit-shaped Pillow flew straight at him, hitting him right in the face.
The Rabbit-shaped Pillow was soft, so it didn't hurt. But Gojo Satoru was clearly stunned. He caught the falling Rabbit-shaped Pillow and stood there, the expression on his face shifting from blankness to surprise, then from surprise to something indescribably complex.
Tu Bai was also stunned.
He sat on the Sofa, his hand still held in the position of having thrown something, his chest heaving violently. He didn't know why he was throwing such a massive tantrum—it was clearly just a bag of Umeboshi, Gojo Satoru had simply forgotten. What was there to be so angry about?
But that anger just couldn't be suppressed; it was stuck in his throat and lodged in his chest, forcing him to do something to vent it.
The air was silent for a few seconds.
"Sorry." Gojo Satoru spoke first.
He put down the Rabbit-shaped Pillow, without getting angry, without questioning, without even showing an offended expression. He simply looked at Tu Bai, his voice very soft: "My memory is poor. That shop is in Asakusa, right? I'll go buy it now."
Tu Bai opened his mouth, wanting to say that you don't have to go, that the supermarket would actually be fine. But as the words reached his lips, his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, he couldn't utter a single word.
Gojo Satoru had already turned to walk out. He walked to the Entrance, picked up his Jacket and put it on, with his hand on the Door Handle, he looked back at Tu Bai one more time.
Wait for me for half an hour," he said. "If you're sleepy, go to sleep first.
The door opened, then closed.
Tu Bai sat alone on the Sofa, staring at the bag of Umeboshi that had been rejected on the Coffee Table. The packaging was exquisite, with a very tempting picture of plums, the label read "No Additives" and "Traditional Method."
He reached out, picked up the bag of Umeboshi, gave it a squeeze.
Then he put it back, curled his legs up, buried his face in his knees.
Incorrect.
It shouldn't be like this.
The emotion in that moment was real—it wasn't "acted" anger, but real, uncontrollable fury. But why should he lose his temper at Gojo Satoru? It was clearly he who was using the other man, clearly Gojo Satoru had done nothing wrong, having only forgotten to buy a specific brand of snack.
He wasn't even sure if he was actually angry about that bag of Umeboshi, or if he was angry about something else entirely.
For example, being angry that Gojo Satoru was too good to him, making it harder and harder for him to make up his mind to run away.
For example, being angry that even though he was clearly playing a Bitter Scheme, he still ended up obsessing over such trivial matters.
For example, being angry..
Tu Bai buried his face even deeper.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.
He maintained this posture, curled up on the Sofa for a long time. The Living Room was very quiet, with only the second hand of the Wall Clock ticking, tick, tick.
About twenty minutes passed before a sound came from the door.
Tu Bai raised his head.
Gojo Satoru was back. His hair was a bit messy, likely blown by the wind during his recent teleportation. He was carrying a paper bag in his hand, also—a bouquet of flowers.
Sunflowers. Wrapped in kraft paper, their golden yellow petals were in full bloom.
He placed the paper bag on the Coffee Table and handed the flowers to Tu Bai.
I saw the flower shop had just opened on the way," Gojo Satoru said. "I thought you might like them.
Tu Bai looked down at the bouquet of Sunflowers.
What was the language of sunflowers again? He remembered it seemed to mean something like "silent love" or "loyalty." But he wasn't sure if Gojo Satoru knew about these things; he might have just bought them because they looked beautiful.
He reached out to take the flowers without saying a word.
Gojo Satoru squatted by the Coffee Table, opened the Paper Bag, began taking things out. There wasn't just one kind of Umeboshi—there were many kinds.
This is from that shop in Asakusa." He placed a simple white Paper Bag in front of Tu Bai. "Original Flavor Umeboshi, some Perilla, some Honey. The owner said they just released a new Dried Tangerine Peel flavor, so I bought that too.
He took out another Box: "This one is from the Nihonbashi area. Ieiri Shoko said some people prefer this brand, so give it a try first."
There was also a Glass Jar: "This one is from an old shop in Kyoto. The sourness is quite light, so it might not be to your taste, but I thought the packaging looked beautiful.."
He took them out one by one, soon they filled half of the Coffee Table.
I didn't know which specific flavor you wanted," Gojo Satoru said. "So I bought them all.
He raised his head, his Ice Blue Eyes looking at Tu Bai through his Sunglasses, with a hint of inquiry and a hint of seriousness: "Are you still angry?"
Tu Bai held the bouquet of Sunflowers, looking at the Umeboshi jars scattered everywhere on the Coffee Table.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but as soon as he did, his voice cracked: ".. What are you doing?"
Gojo Satoru blinked: "What?"
Why aren't you angry?" Tu Bai said, his voice muffled and carrying a hint of a nasal tone, "I hit you with a Rabbit-shaped Pillow.
Gojo Satoru froze for a moment, then laughed.
Why bother arguing with someone with a Pregnancy?" He stood up and sat down next to Tu Bai, his tone as relaxed as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather, "Besides, it's my fault. You clearly told me, but I forgot.
It's not that big of a deal either," Tu Bai said, looking down at the flowers in his hands, "It's just a bag of Umeboshi..
It is a big deal to you," Gojo Satoru said. "If you say it is, then it is a big deal.
Tu Bai fell silent.
He stared at the golden petals of the Sunflower for a long time, staring until his eyes began to sting. He blinked hard, trying to force the stinging sensation away, but it was no use.
He put down the flower, lunged forward, took a bite out of Gojo Satoru's shoulder.
He didn't use much force.
Rather than biting, it was more like he was gnawing with his teeth against that fabric, as if venting something, or perhaps as if confirming something.
Gojo Satoru's body stiffened for a moment, but then he relaxed. He did not pull away; instead, he reached out to wrap his arms around Tu Bai's back, patting him gently.
Bite me," he said, his voice laced with amusement, "just let it all out.
Tu Bai maintained that position, his teeth pressed against Gojo Satoru's shoulder. He smelled the faint scent of laundry detergent on Gojo Satoru, along with a hint of travel-worn dust, likely picked up during his recent teleportation.
He slowly released his grip, but did not pull away, his forehead still resting against Gojo Satoru's shoulder.
".. Why are you so patient," he said in a muffled voice.
I have a bad temper," Gojo Satoru said, "I'm just nicer to you.
Tu Bai did not look up.
He felt Gojo Satoru's hand still resting on his back, patting him steadily with a slow rhythm, as if soothing a child. This realization made his face feel a bit hot, but he did not want to move.
Let's stay like this for a while, he thought. Just a little while.
Gojo Satoru did not rush him. The two of them leaned against each other in silence as the sky outside the window gradually darkened. The lights in the Living Room were not turned on, the light and shadows slowly blurred into a single mass.
After a long time, Tu Bai finally moved, pulling away from Gojo Satoru's embrace. With his head lowered, he reached for the bag of Asakusa Original Flavor Umeboshi on the Coffee Table, opened the packaging, took one out, popped it into his mouth.
Sour. Very sour. It was so sour that it made him squint his Eyes, but it was indeed the Original Flavor he wanted.
Gojo Satoru saw him eating one and reached out to take one as well. He popped it into his mouth and chewed twice before his brow furrowed into a tight knot: "This is so sour?"
"You don't understand the taste of a pregnant man," Tu Bai said, took another one.
Gojo Satoru did not refute him, but simply poured a cup of water and placed it by his side.
Tu Bai curled up in the corner of the Sofa, eating Umeboshi one after another. Gojo Satoru didn't leave, nor did he speak; he just sat nearby looking at his Mobile Phone. The light from the Screen reflected on his face, illuminating a thin white line along the frame of his Sunglasses.
After a while, Tu Bai caught a glimpse of Gojo Satoru typing out of the corner of his eye. He quietly slanted his gaze and saw the line of text in the Search Box—
What to do if an Expectant Father is sensitive to Emotion.
The search results popped up quickly. Tu Bai couldn't see the specific content, but he saw the first bolded line of the pinned answer:
One word: spoiling.
Gojo Satoru stared at that word "pampering" for two seconds, the corners of his mouth curling up imperceptibly.
He locked the screen, set the Mobile Phone aside, nonchalantly picked up another Umeboshi.
Tu Bai withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to continue eating.
He didn't say anything, he just chewed that Umeboshi very slowly, very slowly.
---
At two in the morning, Tu Bai was jolted awake by a sudden, sharp pain.
That pain surged from deep within his right calf, as if someone were twisting his muscle into a rope and forcibly pulling it into the bone. He sucked in a breath of cold air and instinctively tried to rub it, but any movement only increased the pain, so intense that his entire body froze.
Hiss—
A rustling sound came from beside him. Gojo Satoru sat up almost at the same moment; his movement was so sudden that his blindfold tilted to one side.
What's wrong?" His voice was still hoarse from just waking up, but his hand was already reaching over. "A cramp?
Tu Bai was speechless and could only nod while gritting his teeth.
Gojo Satoru lifted the Small Blanket, gently pulled his right leg over, placed it on his own lap. He used one hand to steady the ankle while the other began to press upward from the sole of the foot, applying a moderate amount of pressure with surprisingly skillful movements.
Tu Bai's eyes welled with involuntary tears from the pain, but Gojo Satoru's technique was indeed effective, the muscle, which had been knotted like a twisted rope, slowly relaxed under his pressure.
"Does it hurt?" Gojo Satoru didn't look up, focusing on massaging his calf.
".. Better." Tu Bai's voice trembled slightly.
Gojo Satoru hummed in response and continued pressing. His fingers were long, his palm warm, as he rested it on Tu Bai's calf, pushing unhurriedly from the ankle to the back of the knee, then from the back of the knee back to the calf muscle.
Tu Bai gradually relaxed, finally finding the leisure to look at Gojo Satoru.
The man had his head lowered and his eyes cast down, focused intently on massaging him. His blindfold hung crookedly around his neck, revealing his complete eyes—those Eyes that were usually covered appeared exceptionally calm under the dim light of the desk lamp. Around the edges of his Ice Blue Eyes was a ring of fine, dark blue, like the boundary where the deep sea meets the shallows.
Tu Bai stared at that ring of blue for a few seconds, then his gaze involuntarily drifted downward.
Gojo Satoru wore a loose black tank top on his upper body, his leaning posture caused the fabric to drape down, leaving the neckline wide open. From this angle, one could see exactly—
Tu Bai abruptly turned his head away.
He saw them. Abs. Four of them. No, there should be more than four, but he could only see four; the rest were covered by the Pillow.